Every woman dreams of the perfect, blissful pregnancy, but not every woman is aware of prenatal yoga. If they were, millions of pregnancies would become more relaxed, stress-free, and enjoyable.
Prenatal yoga poses can provide immensely valuable benefits for expecting mothers. They can help relieve morning sickness, swelling, irritability, and so much more. A healthy and happy mum helps to make for an equally healthy and happy babe.
Read on to find out more about the best prenatal yoga poses to ease both your pregnancy and your mind!
What Are the Benefits of Prenatal Yoga?
Yoga is an ancient practice that seems to have nearly limitless benefits. Incorporating a handful of helpful poses into your daily routine can do a surprising amount of good. You can find yourself enjoying more energy, improved mental focus, and better circulation.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg. Prenatal yoga routines can do a great many things, including:
Improve Sleep Quality
Yoga is a naturally stress-relieving activity. When your body is relaxed, it is more able to fall asleep. Prenatal yoga focuses on achieving the ultimate state of comfort, relaxation, and health.
Expecting mothers who find themselves struggling with insomnia may want to consider trying some simple pregnancy yoga routines.
Improve Pelvic Muscle Strength and Endurance
Yoga for pregnancy also focuses on improving the pelvic floor’s strength, endurance, and flexibility. The muscles involved in childbirth can become easily damaged during the process, especially if those muscles are fragile. Preparing for delivery via prenatal yoga is a fantastic option.
Not only are you more likely to experience a more comfortable, less painful birth, but you can also help to prevent bladder leaks and accidents. Abdominal and pelvic muscles that are already strong and flexible tend to heal more quickly. Practising pregnant yoga can lessen your post-birth recovery time!
Decrease Symptoms of Morning Sickness
For some women, morning sickness is a curse that they can’t seem to escape! But it doesn’t have to be that way. Several prenatal poses can lessen the occurrence and severity of morning sickness.
Though these poses may not eradicate your nausea, they are sure to help relieve it. For mums who prefer to limit their intake of pharmaceutical drugs, this natural remedy is worth considering.
Improve Breathing
Breathing is an essential part of yoga. Each pose has an ideal inhale and exhale point, and many poses stress the proper use of the diaphragm. Embracing the tenets of yoga and learning various breathing techniques is a vital aspect of yoga for pregnant women.
During labor, breathing may quickly become erratic and rushed. Deep breathing exercises are a useful tool that birthing mothers can use to remain calm and in control.
Also, improved breathing techniques will likely result in higher oxygen intake. The more oxygen available in the blood, the better the body functions. All organs benefit from increased oxygen flow, so taking advantage of better breathing is a fantastic idea for everyone — pregnant or not.
The Best Prenatal Yoga Poses
Here are the best prenatal poses to try. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t worry! Patience and gentleness are critical aspects of these positions.
Child’s Pose
This pose does wonders for the back, arms, and shoulders. It is not one of the most strength-building poses, but it is undoubtedly one of the most relaxing. Anyone expecting a child can benefit from performing the aptly named Child’s Pose.
Get down onto the floor and spread your knees apart in a V-shape. Do not attempt to over-stretch. Slowly stretch your arms out before you and rotate your torso and arms down toward the floor. Imagine that you are bowing.
Cross your arms, linking them, and allow your forehead to gently rest on them as you rest your weight against the ground. Let your weight sink, away from you. Feel your muscles relax. Breathe and be for as many moments as you’d like.
Standing Side Stretch
This standing pose improves flexibility and reduces back and shoulder pain. The Standing Side Stretch will become more challenging to practise in the later stages of pregnancy but is not dangerous.
Start in Mountain Pose. Lift one arm upwards, parallel with your hips. As you do so, gently stretch in the opposite direction. Use your lowered arm to support yourself by placing it against your leg. Do not attempt to twist while in this pose.
Cat-Cow Pose
Any woman with an aching back should consider trying the Cat-Cow Pose. It improves spinal flexibility while reducing lower and upper back pains. Also, the Cat-Cow Pose puts very little stress on the body, resulting in an easy-to-do pose with plenty of benefits.
To perform, get down on all fours. Slowly arch your back upwards while bringing your head toward your chest. Hold for a few breaths. Release. Pushing downward against the mat, curve your back inward and move your head upward, until your chin is toward the sky.
Hold for several breaths and release. Repeat as necessary.
Yoga Squat
Humans have assumed squatting positions for millions of years. Sometimes, we do this to defecate. Other times we are observing our surroundings and attempting to process information. Sometimes squatting is the preferred form of delivery.
Many ancient birthing practices also utilize squatting. Letting gravity and internal pressure help ease the transition of labor is as old as human being themselves. So it makes sense that the yoga squat would be an excellent choice for mums hoping to strengthen their inner thigh and pelvic floor muscles.
The most important aspect of a yoga squat is to keep your stance wider than your hips. This will promote balance and comfort.
Corpse Pose
Ah, the Corpse Pose. If it weren’t for the fact that this pose requires you to lie down on the floor — which means that you’ll eventually have to try and get back up — it would be the most relaxing pose in the world.
All you must do to complete this pose is lie down on your mat, face-up. Relax your body and close your eyes. Feel the muscles and tendons in your hands unclench. Allow that same wave of gentle release to flow throughout your body. Clear your mind and focus on your breathing.
Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose
Swollen feet and calves are a common side-effect of pregnancy. This is especially true of diabetic and prediabetic women. Finding relief isn’t always easy.
The Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose seeks to ease the swelling and inflammation in the feet and legs by lessening the blood flow to those areas. To perform this pose, simply grab your favorite pillows and find a comfy spot near a wall.
Lie down on the floor with a pillow beneath your lower back and head for support. Use your feet to walk up the side of the wall, sliding your buttocks forward with every step. When your bottom is flush with the wall, stop.
Hold your legs against the wall, as straight and strong as you can, for as long as you can. This pose improves leg strength, core strength, and pelvic strength.
Easy Pose
This pose may be the easiest one in existence unless you count Mountain Pose or Corpse Pose. Sit on the floor and cross your legs, ensuring that you maintain proper spinal posture.
This pose helps to calm the mind, center the spirit, and reduce lower back cramps and aches. It’s also a great way to see the world from the perspective of a child. This may help you identify previously hidden hazards and safety issues.
Wide Seated Forward Fold
Getting a great hamstring stretch while strengthening the hips and pelvic floor is easy with the Wide Seated Forward Fold. During the final trimester of pregnancy, this pose may be difficult to perform. Be sure to never apply pressure to your growing belly. Your baby needs all the room it can get!
While seated, stretch your legs out before you. Then slowly begin to widen them, pushing them outward. Attempt to have your legs form a very large and very wide V shape. Place your arms out before you and rest your palms on the floor.
Walk your hands forward slightly until your torso is slightly horizontal. Hold for as long as you comfortably can.
Enjoy Every Second of Your Pregnancy!
Prenatal yoga poses can ease the growing pains of pregnancy. They may not solve all of your woes or worries, but they can certainly help with many of them. From morning sickness to shortness of breath, these poses can improve common issues associated with carrying a little one around.
Yoga for pregnancy doesn’t have to be boring, and it certainly isn’t difficult! Feel free to rearrange these poses in any way you choose. Pick one or two to try each day. Make your routine as varied or as repetitive as you’d like.
The most important thing is to listen to your body. If you experience any pain or discomfort while performing these poses, stop immediately. Consult with your physician before attempting complex poses. And lastly — take advantage of these poses to enjoy every last second of your pregnancy!